SPRAWL: WHAT IS IT?

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SPRAWL WHAT IS IT?

• DEFINING IT
• MEASURING IT

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DENSITY L.A. vs. N.Y
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RESIDENTIAL USE
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TRANSPORTATION PRIVATE VS. PUBLIC
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LAND USE FRAGMENTATION
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TRAVEL COMPARISONS
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Phoenix land use -1912
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Phoenix land use - 1995
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EL PASO-CD. JUAREZ
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PEOPLE AND LAND
1982 and 1992
Figure 1 Increase in Population and Developed
Land Area in Metropolitan Areas, 1970-1990
(Source Surface Transportation Policy Project)
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EL PASO (1988-1999)
Source City of El Paso Planning Department
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DIMENSIONS OF SPRAWL Galster et al.

1. DENSITY
2. CONTINUITY
3. CONCENTRATION
4. COMPACTNESS
5. CENTRALITY
6. NUCLEARITY
7. DIVERSITY OF LAND USES
8. PROXIMITY

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OPERATIONALIZATION OF SPRAWL
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MEASURING SPRAWL
(1)
(2)
Where di dimension i of sprawl Sy standard
deviation of dimension i Si sprawl index
Source Galster et al.
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LIMITATIONS OF GALSTER ET AL.

• All the dimensions of sprawl are given equal
  weight
• It is static in the sense that it gives a picture
  but it is silent about changes and the dynamic of
  change
• It requires a great deal of work to define the
  unit of analysis

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Lopez Hynes methodology

• According to the authors, density is the most
  important dimension of sprawl
• The authors use census tracks instead of the
  quarter mile square used by Galster et al.
• The authors classify three types of density
  tracks
• The authors use a cross-sectional study
• Comparative static (two points in time) and
  silent about dynamics

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Lopez Hynes Sprawl Index
Where Si sprawl index for metropolitan area
i Di percentage of total population in
high-density census track Si percentage of
total population in low-density census track If
100 percent of the population live in low-density
track then index 100 If 100 percent of the
population live in high-density track then index
0
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THE GROWTH MANAGEMENT PROCESS
Design Building codes

• Density
• Impacts
• Environment
• Social
• Economic
• Internalizing
• Externalities by
• pricing right
• Public quasi-public goods

• Continuous growth
• Avoid leapfrog dev.
• Establishing UGB

• Locating uses
• Matching development
• with infrastructure (CIP)
• Finding a proper place for
• LULUs

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POLICY APPROACHES

• Top-down (Portland)
• Incentive-based system (Maryland)
• Laissez-Faire Approach (Houston)
• STALEY
• Legislative decision making
• Bureaucratic decision making
• Market decision making

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KEY QUESTIONS

• Why do we attach a negative connotation to
  sprawl?
• When do we know that a city has become too big?
  What are the parameters to judge size?
• Can sprawl be reversed? What role should the
  market and government play?
• Is smart growth really the answer?
• Where does the happy median lie?
• What is the difference between growth management
  and smart growth policies?

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Class Questions

• E. Harrison  
• 1.  The readings state that Los Angeles was once
  targeted as the prime "sprawl" example. 
  Recently, however, Atlanta has been named as the
  prime "sprawl" example.  Did Los Angeles do
  something to eliminate or reduce sprawl, or is
  Atlanta so much worse that planners now use it as
  the prime sprawl example?
•  
• 2.  Given that sprawl is multi-dimemsional and
  planners have such a hard time defining it, much
  less formulating strategies to reduce or
  eliminate it, is it possible to address each of
  the dimensions (density, continuity,
  concentration, compactness, centrality,
  nuclearity, diversity and proximity) seperately
  through zoning ordinances in an effort to control
  the multitude of consequences as a result of
  sprawl?
• B. Lucero
• 1.  In the Samuel Staley article he seems to say
  that smart growth is cumbersome and not as
  advantageous as one would imagine, but isn't the
  fact that it requires more citizen input what
  makes this more democratic and less market
  driven?
•  
• 2.  In the Jerry Anthony article he mentions that
  one way to ensure that growth management policies
  are not exclusive is to include specific
  provisions that would ensure that there are
  affordable housing aspects in the plan and that
  these measures are followed.  Is the limitation
  in the policy that it put environmental concerns
  over people in creating a livable community that
  managed growth?